Leather-plaiting apparatus



March 17, 1931. F. BARBER 1,796,314

LEATHER PLAITING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllll 7 INVENTOR .5 w k BMW TT'ORNEY March 17, 1931. F. BARBER LEATHER rmnme APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w m R o T N M E M 5 II J MW 6 #1 a \M W a fl 0 8 0 .1 3&4 M916 Z. w w w o I w 7 M Mfl 3 M fl6 A'h'ORNEY Patented Mar. 17, 1931 FRANK BARBER, OF COLLEGE POINT, NEW YORK LEATHEB-PLAITING APPARATUS Application filed February 27, 1929. Serial No. 342,960.

My invention relates particularly to an apparatus for use in plaiting leather, and of such a character as to produce leather sheets which may be used for any purpose, if de- -;ired, but which are especially applicable for use in the manufacture of shoes.

This machine is an improvement over the machine used in connection with my invention upon process of making plaited leather,

' as set forth in my co-pending application executed. on the 6th day of February, 1929,

Serial No. 342,961 filed Feb. 27, 1929.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of the above character, in which there are fewer parts, and in which the operation may be carried out very easily due to the more rigid construction, the lessened friction, the positionof the operating parts, and the avoidance of dead centers, etc. An-

other object is to provide means for holding the strips of leather in such a manner as to hold them securely and uniformly in place, and in such a manner as to be adjustable for varying types and shapes of the plaited leather sheets produced therein. Further objects of my invention will appear from the detailed description of the same hereinafter.

While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the purpose of illustration I have shown only one form of the same in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine made in accordance with my invention showing diagrammatically the number of strip-supporting levers therein;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the holding bar for adjusting the strip-holding crossbar;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the strip-ho1ding cross-bar;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the machine;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a complete sheet of plaited leather shown with backing thereon;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of a knife used in connection with the machine;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a composite leather band from which the longitudinal strips of leather are cut; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the leather band from which the transverse strips are cut.

In the drawings, I have shown a rectangular frame 1 made up of angle bars provided with ears 2 adapted to be attached by screws to the floor in such a manner as to support the frame in an inclined position leading towards the rear, the machine being supported at the rear by means of two angle bar braces 3 and 4, which also have ears 5 for securing them by screws to the floor. A cross-piece 6 is bolted thereto near the bottom for receiving a hinge 7, to which is attached the rear end of a treadle 8 which, as shown in Fig. 1, extends beyond the front of the frame 1. The treadle 8 carries two eye plates 9 between which there is provided a bracket 10 having a pivotbar 11 extending into the eye-plates 9, and which is secured to the lower end of a longitudinal operating bar 12 which extends upwardly to'the rear of and parallel to the frame 1, the upper end thereof being formed into a hook 13 to which there is secured a spring 14 having its upper end supported on a hook 15 in the frame 1. The spring 14 normally retains the bar 12 in its uppermost position with the end of the treadle 8 resting against a cross-member 16 attached to the front of the frame 1. Just below the book 13 two lateral rigid-extension-arms 17 and 18 are provided on the bar 12 and to which they are attached by bolts 19. These extension-arms 17 and 18 are flared outwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, and extend upwardly beyond the end of the frame 1, where they are provided with forwardly directed right-angle arms 20 and 21, respectively. Pivot bolts 22 and 23 are provided in the right-angle extensions 20 and 21 for pivoting thereto links 24 and 25 which contact at their lower ends with a crossbar 26 for supporting the upper ends of thirty-seven levers 27 carried on a fixed pivot 28 which is supported by two angle brackets 29 and 30 bolted to the front of the main frame 1. The lower ends of these levers 27 have hooks 31 thereon. Similarly, the pivots 22 and 23 are connected to links 32 and 33 which, at their lower ends, are connected to a c 3% for supporting the upper ends oftluriyseven right angle levers 35, alternzit-mp with the levers 27, which are likewise 'arricd by the fixed pivot 28, and have hooks 2352 at their lower ends. Beneath the 2i the frame i has a transverse brace or which may also act as a stop, if desired, for the lever arms 27 and 35. At its lower end the frame 1, furthermore, is provided with a cross-bar 38 attached by bolts thereto, and which carries at its center a longitudinal member 39 having a succession hf notches fill, the lower end of the member 39 being: secured to the center of the cross-bar 16. The notches 4:0 are designed to receive a howeo wire ll, the ends of which are a 1- tached by loops or hooks l2 and it} to a leather-strip-holdingr cross-bar ell provided with rec res -15, which are the same width as the. strips of leather to be made into the plaited fabric, said notches being also separated by projections 46 having the same width as thesaid strips of leather. In making the plaited sheets of leather, longitudinal leather strips l7 will be cut from a composite band of leather 48 made up of two separate bands 49 and 50, which are sewn together by three rows of stitching 51, the resultant strips 4'- being, therefore, of uniform width and length. Likewise, transverse strips will be cut from a shorter band of leather 53 so as to obtain, similarly, strips of the same width and length. The longitudinal strips are fasttened into the machine by providine slits Si in the two ends of each of said longitudinal strips. First, a strip being doubled over at its middle around the bar l4 so as to {it th notch at one side thereof. care beiinr take to have a turn of 180 in the rear end of the said strip l7 so to bring: the outer face of the leather to the front at both ends of the strip, one end of the strip being fastened over the hook 236 and the other over the book 31 at this side of the machine.

Another strip then inserted similarly into me machine at the other side thereof, and the wire *l-l is then drawn downwardly info engagement with one of the notches id. The remaining strips "l now inserted in a similar manner until all of said notches are filled and all of-the books 36 and 31 carry longitudinal strips. The wire 41 is now moved downwardly until these leather strips are taut. 'lhereupon. after Shifting the relative positions of the two layers of longitudinal strips by pressing the treadle 8 dowm 'ardly. a. knife 55, having tapered slits 56 in the ends thereof. inserted between the two layers of longitudinal strips ilttitCllU. to the hooks 3i and respectively, and said knife is moved downwardly as far as possible between the layers of longitudinal strips. care being taken to have the same front face of the leather strips faced to the front over the knife T hen one of the transverse strips 52 is fastened into one of the slits 56 of the knife and the latter is pulled crosswise through the two layers of longitudinal strips until the end of the transverse strip in the slotted knife reaches just beyond the side of the layers of longitudinal strips in such a manner that the top face of the transverse strip faces towards the front. The knife is then detached from the transverse strip and the longitudinal layers of strips are reversed again by allowing the treadle to be released. 'lhereupon, the other end of said transverse strip 52 is drawn through the longitudinal strips in the same manner with the edge of the knife (are being taken to turn this end of the transverse strip 180 so as to bringthe top face of the same again to the. front. By the alternate shifting and releasing of the treadle in this manner accompanied by the insertion of additional transverse strips in the same manner, the entire sheet of plaited leather will be completed in such a manner that at each edge of the fabric one double end of the transverse strip will lie adjacent to and alternate with the free ends of the next transverse strip located adjacent thereto. In this manner the lateral edges of the plaited leather sheet will remain fixed in place so that when completed the wire 41 may be released from the notches 4-0 and the sheet lifted off the machine by rcleasing the same from the hooks 3'3 and 3].. The upper ends of the longitudinal strips carrying the slit 54 may be clipped off and these ends will be held in their proper place by brushing 0v 1 them a layer of rubber cement. The lower ends carrying the loops may also be clipped off and provided with a layer ofrubber cement in a. similar manner, and for the same purpose. l in ally, when the sheet is to be made into shoes, it may be provided with a fabric backing: cloth 57 having a facing of rubber cement 58 to which the sheet of'leather is made to adhere.

It will be understood that many different effects may be obtained by choosing the color schemes desired for prm'luciu r the plailed leather sheet. For instance, the longiiudh nal strips may be of one color and the transverse strips of another color, or either the transverse strips or the longitudinal strips, or both, may alternate in color.

lVhile. l have described my invention above in detail I wish it to be ninlenzi'ood that many changes may be made therein without de parting from the spirit of the same.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising two series of leather-strip-supporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in different planes. and means for reversing the positions of said planes, con'iprising a link attached to the levers of one series, a link attached to the levers of the other series, said two links being pivoted together, a manually-shifting lever, and a link leading directly from said lever to the pivotal connection between said links.

2. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising two series of leather-stripsupporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in different planes, and means for reversing the positions of said planes, comprising a link attached to the levers of one series, a link attached to the levers of the other series, said two links being pivoted together, a manually-shifting lever, and a rigid rod leading directly from said lever to the pivotal connection between said links.

3. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising a main frame, two series of leather stripsupporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in dif ferent planes, and means for reversing the positions of said planes, comprising a link attached to the levers of one series, a link attached to the levers of the other series, said two links being pivoted together, a manuallyshifting lever, and a rigid rod leading directly from said lever to the pivotal connection between said links and located parallel to the main frame.

4. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising a main frame, two series of leather -strip -supporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in different planes, and means for reversing the positions of said planes, comprising a link attached to the levers of one series, a link attached to the levers of the other series, said two links being pivoted together, a manuallyshifting lever, and a rigid rod leading direc ly from said lever to the pivotal connection between said links and located parallel to the main frame at the rear thereof.

5. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising a main frame supported in a position inclined toward the rear, two series of leather-stripsupporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in different planes, and means for reversing the positions of said planes, comprising a link attached to the levers of one series, a link attached to the levers of the other series, said two links being pivoted together, a manually-shifting lever, and a rigid rod leading directly from said lever to the pivotal connection between said links and located parallel to the main frame.

6. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising a main frame supported in a position inclined toward the rear, two series of leather strip supporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in clifferent planes, and means for reversing the positions of said planes cnnmrismg a link attached to the levers of one series, a link attached to the levers of the other series, said two links being pivoted together, a manuallyshifting lever, and a rigid rod leading directly from said lever to the pivotal connection between said links and located parallel to the main frame at the rear thereof.

7. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising a main frame, two series of leather-stripsupporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in different planes, means for revers1n. the positions of said planes, a cross-bar for supporting the other ends of the leather strips, and an adjustable supporting means for the cross-bar, carrying a series of notches, on the frame for support ing the crossbar.

8. An apparatus for making plaited leather sheets comprising a main frame, two series of leather-strip-supporting levers adapted to support the leather strips in different planes, means for reversing the positions of said planes, a cross-bar for supporting the other ends of the leather strips, and an adjustable supporting means, in the form of a bar carrying a series of notches, on the frame for supporting the cross-bar, said cross-bar having a bowed wire thereon adapted to be received in said notches.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of February, 1929.

FRANK BARBER. 

